LAWBREAKING Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

lawbreaking 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of lawbreaking

as in criminal

not restrained by or under the control of legal authority some sociologists specialize in studying the lawbreaking elements of society

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lawbreaking

2 of 2

noun

as in crime

a breaking of a moral or legal code even something as simple as littering is considered an example of lawbreaking

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in criminality

activities that are in violation of the laws of the state an outbreak of lawbreaking plagued the city in the months following the end of the war

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of lawbreaking

Noun

Similarly, Newport Beach had warned partygoers to avoid lawbreaking before the takeover. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 These are discrete allegations of lawbreaking, and any remedy must match their magnitude. — David B McGarry, Oc Register, 8 July 2026 Leifman has been leading the charge for a facility that judges could use as an alternative to Miami-Dade’s jails for people whose mental illnesses seem to be the main driver behind their lawbreaking. — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026 Both Goss and DeVries agreed senior citizens should notify police if residents have been victims of scams or have concerns before moving ahead with possible lawbreaking schemes. — Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026 In an effort to send a message to any minors planning to descend on the Jersey Shore for a weekend of lawbreaking and recklessness, Vaz is vowing to prosecute both the offending child and their parents. — Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026 These criminal employers profit from lawbreaking. — CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026 The sponsor of the employer crime bill said that lawbreaking was wrong and the bill is constitutional. — Idaho Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026 Barack Obama pledged to look forward and not backwards, not only closing the door on prosecutions for executive lawbreaking but also failing to hold accountable those responsible for the 2008 financial crisis and the ensuing Great Recession. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lawbreaking

Adjective

Also Sunday, prosecutors ordered a 48-hour detention of Marko Kricak, Vucic's chief of criminal police.

— MARKO DROBNJAKOVIC, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Linn County prosecutors did not file criminal charges, but the church would not allow Moore to work with children, youth and vulnerable adults.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

Shame, disgust, anger, sadness and confusion equally course through Lucy, who starts wondering about the extent of Philip’s criminality.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
His office published statistics showing that the county jails were overwhelmingly filled with undocumented immigrants as proof of their criminality.

— Michael Kiefer, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminality

Adjective

The selection also features Dutch director Sabine Lubbe Bakker’s Premier Souffle, exploring whether a rebellious outsider can find her place in the world after years of isolation from her community.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026
Five years earlier my brother had gotten married, leaving me home alone without the buffers of his distracted affection, his big brotherly insouciance, his rebellious indifference to the emotional chasm widening between our parents.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebellious

Noun

That was true in its yeshiva reform efforts when hesitant and understaffed local districts were charged with investigations and, even when violations were substantiated, the schools couldn’t be closed down.

— David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
But that still amounts to 79 inquiries now being double-checked for a possible violation of policy.

— Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of violation

Adjective

So far, the most plausible driver of recent declines in overdose deaths is a change in the illicit drug supply.

— J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026
But how and through whom the money flowed into the Alpha account revealed that it was intended to remain secret, more akin to a covert and illicit scheme, given that it was managed in part by a senior advisor to the president of the United States.

— Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of illicit

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lawbreakers

lawbreaking

lawbreakings

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Style

“Lawbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lawbreaking. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of lawbreaking

adjective

noun

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